July 24 Friday – Sam, Ralph Ashcroft, and Zoheth S. Freeman played billiards from 9:30 p.m. till after midnight [July 27 to Quick]. Note: Freeman, at this time Vice-President of Liberty National Bank, N.Y. Along with Jervis Langdon II, and Edward Loomis, Freeman would be an executor to Sam’s estate.
Sam’s new guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
Mrs. Grace Hill Freeman (“Sheba”) New York July 24-26
Z.S. Freeman (her property) “ “
July 24 Saturday — Albert Bigelow Paine, as of July 17 the official manager of Clemens’ business affairs, signed an agreement on this day to take over the editing of the volumes of letters [Hill 242]. Note: this had originally been a duty reserved to Clara Clemens and/or Isabel Lyon.
July 26 Sunday – Jean Clemens’ 28th birthday.
Isabel Lyon’s journal: Today when the King and Sheba and Zoe [Mr. & Mrs. Zoheth Freeman] were driving and passed a cemetery, Sheba said that the King reverently lifted his hat from his beautiful head and after a moment Sheba reached over and touched his beautiful hand in sympathy.
July 26 Monday — Jean Clemens’ 29" birthday.
The New York Times, p. 1, “Taft’s Trip On Mississippi” reported that Mark Twain had been invited to pilot a steamer on the river when President Taft took a trip from St. Louis to New Orleans. Though the article referred to unnamed friends of Clemens saying he would probably accept the invitation due to his high regard for Taft, Sam’s health would not allow such a trip.
July 27 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Dorothy Quick.
Dorothy dear, I miss you. It seems a long time since you were here. Louise has been here once, for a few minutes, & we have had a five minutes’ glimpse of Frances; Frances [Paine] went back home to her father’s house the day you went away.
July 27 Tuesday — J. Wylie Smith wrote from Glascow, Scotland to Sam having read CS and lamenting the fact there was now 500 or so adherents in the city, plus a rumor that Clemens regretted writing the book and even that Clemens had become a Christian Scientist! [MTP].
July 28 Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to daughter Jean at Eastern Point in Gloucester, Mass.
July 28 Wednesday — An unidentified person in St. Francis Hospital, Cape Girardeau, Mo. sent a picture postcard of a levee and steamboat scene to Sam. Most of the penciled text is behind a pasted on sticker, but this much is legible: “Just a little reminder of the old Miss. R. “At the bottom the name appears to be “Anne C Hocky” [MTP].
July 29 Wednesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Frances Nunnally in London, England.
Dear Francesca—
Your letter arrived to-day with picture of Interlaken. What an architectural transformation! There’s nothing of the former Interlaken left but the Jûngfraû.
I am sorry you did not catch my daughter in; & she was sorry, too. She was more fortunate with Dorothy Butes, who found her at home.
July 29 Thursday —Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Edward Loomis | |||
| Julie Loomis | ) New York | July 29-30 |
Chatto & Windus wrote to Sam, enclosing a financial statement and thanking him “for your kind letter of the 19th inst. ... We are indeed sorry to hear that you are not well...’” [MTP].
July 3 Friday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to John M. Howells, who had designed Sam’s new home in Redding.
July 30 Thursday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to daughter Clara.
I place with this a copy of a letter of today’s date which I have just written to Colonel Harvey.
July 30 Friday — Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Ossip Gabrilowitsch | [New York] | July 30 |
July 31 Friday – Sam’s guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
Harriet E.G. Whitmore Hartford, Conn ) July 31 – Aug 3
Franklin G. Whitmore “ “ )
Note: in the original guestbook, Franklin Whitmore was dated as Aug. 2 [Mac Donnall TS].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “The Whitmores and Ashcroft arrived this afternoon” [MTP: IVL TS 55].
July 31 Saturday - Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Dorothy Harvey | Deal, New Jersey | July 31-August 2nd | |
| Alma P. Harvey | |||
| Jessica H. Alward | Chicago | July 31—Aug.2 |
July 4 Saturday – Sam’s A.D. for this date continued to focus with “spectacular venom” (Hill 209) against Lillian Aldrich for the June 30 Memorial of her late husband, which Sam attended.
Harper’s Weekly ran an anonymous article, “Mark Twain’s New Home at Redding,” p. 24, 29. Tenney: “On the purchase of the land, building of the house, and the neighbors. Illustrated with photographs of the house, local scenes, and MT playing billiards with Albert Bigelow Paine” [45].
July 4 Sunday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote an aphorism to A.O. Einer: “Let persons devoid of principle lie wantonly, if they will, but let you & me make it the rule of our life to lie for revenue only” [MTP].
Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Dr. Wiley _) | |||
| Mrs. Wiley) | New York | ) July 4 (Sunday) |
July 5 Sunday – In Redding, Conn. Sam began a letter to Dorothy Sturgis which he mislaid, found and finished on July 14. The July 5 portion: Sunday noon.
July 5 Monday — Paine writes of “happier” events:
We have invented a new game, three-ball carom billiards, each player continuing until he has made five, counting the number of his shots as in golf, the one who finishes in the fewer shots wins, It is a game we play with almost exactly equal skill, and he is highly pleased with it. He said this afternoon:
“I have never enjoyed billiards as I do now. I look forward to it every afternoon as my reward at the end of a good day’s work.”
July 6 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Collier’s Weekly.
July 6 Tuesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Marjorie Breckenridge.
Dear Marjorie—
I am very glad you are back again. I would come & see you, but the doctor does not allow me to walk so far, & I don’t drive because I don’t enjoy it. So you must come & see me. I am oldest, anyway, you know. /
Lovingly SLC [MTAq 261].
July 7 Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Margaret Blackmer.
July 7 Wednesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam inscribed copies of TA, TS, and HF with aphorisms to Emily G. Byng (Lady Stafford):
Whenever you find you are on the side of a majority, it is time to reform.
We ought never to do wrong when people are looking
None but the dead are permitted to speak truth [MTP].
July 8 Wednesday – Sam’s guestbook has the following entries (also noted in IVL TS 54):
Name Address Date Remarks
Frederick Leigh New York City July 8-9 Staff of Harper & Bros.
F.A. Duneka “ “ “ “ “8-9
Note: Major Frederick Leigh was Treasurer of Harper’s.
William Dean Howells, in Kittery Point, Maine, wrote to Sam.
July 8 Thursday — Mrs. Henderson wrote from Ayrshire, Scotland to ask for Sam’s autograph [MTP].